prison guard Sam Olivo , allegedly stabbed in the head with a pitchfork by an inmate, told Beth Palmer to call for help because he thought he was involved in an accident. The disoriented man lapsed in and out of consciousness. He was incoherent and, at times, unresponsive. Slowly, Olivo, a 55-year-old from St. Johns and a 22-year state prison system employee, revealed he'd been jumped by at least one and up to five inmates assigned to a nearby work detail. The suspects, captured about three hours and about 50 miles south of the site of the 11:30 a.m. escape, had stolen the van the crew was using. "It was clear he was pretty badly beaten and in a state of shock," said Lee Palmer, whose wife cared for Olivo before authorities arrived. "Blood was everywhere and as what happened began to emerge, it was really unbelievable." Olivo stumbled up to a half mile from the site where the inmates were clearing brush and cutting trees along a drainage ditch before finding help. He went to an unoccupied mobile home and fell multiple times before reaching the Palmers' residence. Olivo was unconscious and in serious condition at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, said Mel Grieshaber, executive director of the

policy allows guards to be alone when supervising field work, a procedure Grieshaber said is flawed. Olivo was unarmed. "We don't think there's many good guys in prison," Grieshaber said. "Everyone is a danger and (guards) are out there alone and unarmed with so-called well behaved prisoners. "It's a bad decision. Two is too many as far as I'm concerned." Inmates approved for outside work are minimum security prisoners who are often non-violent offenders and close to release, said John Cordell, a prison spokesman. "There is a low propensity for assault, a very low escape risk," Cordell said. "We don't see it very often that they jeopardize themselves by getting involved in something like this." Authorities said the alleged attack on Olivo began outside the work van, where one inmate began beating the guard. It wasn't immediately clear if the attack was planned or an impetuous act. The four other inmates claim they were in the vehicle and not part of the incident, Cordell said. Officials identified the suspects as: -- Ranar Cook, 28, who had four months left behind bars on a felony firearm conviction. -- Dennis Hall, 45, and imprisoned for receiving and concealing a stolen car. -- Daniel Henry, a 36-year-old convicted of home invasion -- Andrew Lang, 50, who was serving time for a felony child support offense. -- Lucas Schuster, 28, of Allegan, who has methamphetamine-related convictions. Cordell declined to confirm the identity of the alleged attacker, but police said the prime suspect is Henry, who fled from a traffic stop near the Eaton County village of Dimondale. Henry was arrested about 2:30 p.m. after a massive manhunt that included a

helicopter and tracking dogs. He was hiding in thick brush, authorities said. The four other inmates stayed in or near the van and voluntarily gave up, Cordell said. State police investigators will continue interviews with the inmates. "Our primary concern is with the injured officer," Cordell said. "And then to make sure this never happens again." Grieshaber said the only way to try and prevent a similar crime against a prison guard is to end the work crews or assign an equal number of officers to inmates. "That's not going to happen in a budget-driven corrections policy," he said. "The guys out there have been upset and anxious about being by themselves." Inmates had been in the area of the Carson City Christian Camping Center doing work for several days, resident Nancy Ngele said. It wasn't clear if the work crew, from the 1,274-bed prison that opened in 1989, always consisted of the same men or if there was a rotation of inmates assigned to the task. Ngele said she is used to seeing the workers since crews have been used at the center for years during spring clean-ups. Lee Palmer, the camp's board president, expects to invite inmates back. "This is an unusual event," he said. "Inmates have been out here doing work and doing it well because no one is going to mess up and lose a valued assignment. "Of course, we usually have a lot of residents watching them in addition to the guard that comes out." e-mail: